Beachcomber

Some people have contacted The Wave about unscrupulous or lousy contractors and suggested we print a list of those you should steer clear of. That gets a bit complicated, but Facebook and Angie’s List are possible outlets.

There is a little known temporary roadway on the beach between Beach 109th and Beach 115th that will stay in place through Labor Day. It makes for an easy walk. Not so easy to ride a bike or push a stroller. The seams make it too bumpy. Still, it’s safer than riding a bike on the Boulevard for those blocks.

As we wrote last week, Citibank helped spearhead a volunteer effort to clean up Beach 116th Street. We should have given credit to New York Cares and the Department of Small Business Services as well.

Ride the ferry. The City could make it easier to get there. We’re happy that free parking is available but if you don’t drive, getting to the ferry is a hassle. Many have suggested that local bus routes could include a stop at Beach 108th.

Mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson is stopping by The Wave in a couple of weeks. Got something you want to ask? Send us an email: editor@rockawave.com

Phil Goldfeder rode the ferry with locals last week to drop off a petition at City Hall demanding permanent ferry service. We intend to ask each and every mayoral candidate if they will commit to making it permanent. All candidates say they like ferries. We’ve never met one against! We’d like to hear a full throated commitment.

Why are dollar vans allowed to take up parking spaces on the street outside Dayton Shopping Center? These are not taxi waiting zones. Residents and visitors need the parking spaces.

Happy Fourth of July!

Residents of Beach 125th Street are fed up with the condition of the oceanfront Chai Nursing Home and will be holding a rally/protest at the site next Wednesday, July 10th at 7 p.m.

Lew Simon tells us that he’s as busy as ever fighting for people in Rockaway and that he’s now making inroads in Howard Beach and beyond in his quest to become a City Councilman.

Borough President candidate Peter Vallone came by last Friday. He favors the reactivation of the Rockaway LIRR branch; says Queens transportation overallneeds remedies; is pro stop and frisk; wants more security cameras; and has run a small business. Why do we even need a Borough President? He says all of Queens needs an advocate. We invited him to write an article with Rockawayspecific proposals.

Some people are wondering why others still have inspection stickers on the windows of their homes. And while we’re at it some windows still have an “X” of duct tape from Hurricane Irene, never mind Sandy!

Maybe the ferry operator could do a little more to get the word out about their service and schedule. An ad in The Wave might help. Maybe a sign on the parking lot at Beach 108th? Maybe approach local merchants with flyers? We love the ferry but we don’t think we should be their Public Relations arm. The NYC Parks Department will close sections of Shore Front Parkway so that community volunteers, NYC Service volunteers, and NYC Parks staff can paint the concrete jersey barriers which have been placed on the south side of Shore Front Parkway from Beach 74th Street to Beach 107th Street. Beginning Monday, July 8 and continuing through the end of the month, limited road closures on the south side of Shore Front Parkway (eastbound) are expected daily, Monday through Friday. The jersey barriers are being installed to protect pedestrians and bicyclists on Shore Front Parkway. Murals and designs, selected by the community, will be painted on both sides of the jersey barriers this summer. Interested volunteers should visit www.nycservice.org or email artandantiquities@parks.nyc.gov.

The hefty price tags of the lifeguard and comfort stations continue to be a sore point – especially since so many are not open yet, or worse, leaking!